The social response necessary to control the spread and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is disrupting all of our lives, often leaving us disconnected, isolated and missing some of the feeling of richness out of our learning and our broader lives. These things can have a wearing effect on our wellbeing, and it can sometimes feel like our development and future trajectories have slowed.
Here in the Rise project office, we want to do our bit to help to support all of our community to combat these feelings and to take purposeful and affirmative action to make the most of the time, space and opportunities that they do have. We have accelerated and expanded our offer to make more things open to more students.
We have also expanded the breadth of our offer. You’ll still find a range of opportunities to get ahead with future success, but we’ve added activities which focus more on the here and now; after all, the best way of assuring a successful future is to create a safe, healthy and rich present.
We’ve structured this around the Five Ways to Wellbeing, literature themes identified by the New Economics Foundation as key determinants of postive
See Also: Understanding Wellbeing Intensive
Learn more about wellbeing and mental health, including the Five Ways to Wellbeing in this Rise intensive
Keep Learning
The good news is that learning is one of the best ways of enhancing your wellbeing! So throw yourself into your studies, but also try to learn beyond them. Rekindle an old interest or spark a new one. Sustain a focus and gain some mastery, or just dabble. All these approaches will be good for your mental health – and they will all add a richness to your profile which will expand your employability.
Rise allows your to keep learning with a number of mechanisms:
- Take a Rise Intensive and access one of our growing range of self-study packages on interdisciplinary themes authored by industry partners, academics, fellow students
- Attend a one off event or a engage with an activity for a more guided and tutored experience of similarly interdisciplinary themes in collaboration with other students.
- As part of our response to social isolation, we’re also piloting a range of parcel drop events; we’ll post resources to you to enable you to sustain your learning.
Rise is all about enhancing your success within and beyond your degree – so you’ll also find points associated with events listed here by our careers and student support service.
Connect
…with the people around you, even if that has to be in virtual forms. Reinvest in existing relationship and form new ones. “Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing them. Building these connections will support and enrich you every day.” (NEF).
Rise offers a range of events designed to encourage participation amongst your peers. We’re even piloting ways of funding you to connect directly by hosting an event, or authoring an intensive which takes your discipline to others within and beyond the university.
Take Notice
“Be curious. Catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual. Savour the moment. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.”. Living in the moment might feel less appealing right now, but connecting with the world around you can really help.
To support you, Rise is supporting events which focus on mindfulness and creative practice – ranging from the arts to the digital, and hosts from within and beyond the university. Get stuck in; make, reflect and focus
Be Active
Physical activity and mental wellness are closely associated; being active has biological benefits and makes you feel more autonomous and free. All this is tough when you’re stuck inside, so be creative in finding ways to be mobile and active
We’ve partnered with Man Met Sport to develop a range of ways keep active against all the challenges.
Give to Others
Seeing yourself, and your happiness, linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and creates connections with the people around you.
Become a contributor to Rise and its offer to your peers, and pitch to be funded to host an event, or author an intensive – or pitch a response to social problem or opportunity in one of our project challenges.
Volunteer in your local community, or in one of the opportunities created by the Student Union or Man Met Sport – and claim Rise points by submitting evidence of your engagement.